Commonwealth Health EMS Earns Prestigious AHA Achievement Award
4/20/2015
SCRANTON, Pa. (April 21, 2015) – Commonwealth Health Emergency Medical Services has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® EMS Silver Award for implementing quality improvement measures for the treatment of patients who experience severe heart attacks.
Every year, more than 250,000 people experience a STEMI, or ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction, a type of heart attack caused by a complete blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it is critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by surgically opening the blocked vessel or by giving clot-busting medication.
Mission: Lifeline seeks to save lives by closing the gaps that separate STEMI patients from timely access to appropriate treatments. Mission: Lifeline’s EMS recognition program recognizes emergency responders for their efforts in improving STEMI systems of care and improving the quality of life for these patients.
Agencies that receive the Mission: Lifeline Silver award have demonstrated at least 75 percent compliance for each required achievement measure for the entire year, and treat at least eight STEMI patients for the year.
“EMTs and paramedics play a vital part in the system of care for those who have heart attacks,” Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, said. “Since they often are the first medical point of contact, they can shave precious minutes of life-saving treatment time by activating the emergency response system that alerts hospitals. We applaud Commonwealth Health Emergency Medical Services for achieving this award that shows it meets evidence-based guidelines in the treatment of people who have severe heart attacks.”
“We are proud of this prestigious distinction which further underscores our commitment to providing the best patient care in Northeastern Pennsylvania,” Gary McIntyre, director of operations a CHEMS, said. “We believe our approach of partnering our emergency medical services with our network of hospitals gives us a unique advantage to being able to fulfill that commitment.”
